A parent sent me an email. He said “My son is 6’3″ and 190lb, not exactly a perfect body type for wrestling.” I nearly fell out of my chair. A 6’3″ 190lb athletic freshman? How many coaches wouldn’t give their right arm for that!?
What most parents and kids don’t understand is that they think of a 180lb or 130lb muscle bound wrestler and they think that this is the wrestler body. What they don’t realize is that there are 13 other weight classes, from 98lb to 285. This makes wrestling the most egalitarian sport of any other sport. What other sport would allow tiny kids with no muscle or huge behemoth kids participate? Could a 285 do swimming? No. Can a 98 pound kid be on Varsity football? No. But they can wrestle.
Wrestling requres strength, stamina and agility. But all those can be developed. The most important thing in wrestling is technique and body awareness. Technique can be developed and so can body awareness. Notice no where is there a mention of height or weight. There are wieght classes for all. In fact, wrestling does not specify gender, anyone can be a wrestler: boy, girl, trans.
There are also no requirements for limbs or hearing or ability to speak or site. This is why I have seen wrestlers with down syndrome compete and win. Dan Gable’s toughest match was against a deaf wrestler who could not hear his coaches or the crowd. One of the most successful NCAA Division 1 wrestlers is Anthony Robles who has no legs.
Wrestling doesn’t care for your neurological issues, with many wrestlers having some kind of learning disability. It doesn’t care if you are a nerd with many future engineers wrestling because they love the individual aspect. Wrestling is great for extroverts because you are on a team with 10-50 other kids.
Wrestling also doesn’t care for race or class. In fact the first black wrestler to compete in NCAA was San Diego State University wrestler Harold Henson, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier. We compete with some of the wealthiest and poorest schools. It is the only time where a hedge fund manager’s son can compete with a son of a drug addict or daughter of a convict and lose, or win. Either way they will shake their hands before and after the match, and if its a good one, they will give each other a hug.
Wrestling has no nationality as every country in the world has its own style. What we call folkstyle or collegiate wrestling is actually a mix of various styles in America. The many immigrants brought their wrestling to Americans and it was combined with the dual style wrestling that Native Americans practiced. It is the unique wrestling style that employs legs to control the opponent.
There is something raw about wrestling. Outside of headgear and a singlet and shoes, there is nothing really there between the two competitors. No pads, no other teammates, no other tools or objects. Just their hands, and feet if they have them and their heart. The most important thing that a wrestler has at their disposal is their heart. Their respect for the competitor, their respect for coaches and teammates and their desire to do their best, no matter who is on the other side of that line.
It takes bravery to join a wrestling team. The idea that you are out there, in a singlet, with no one to protect you and the other person focused on beating you is intimidating. But all those who try, conquer that fear, develop discipline to learn the sport and become proficient in it, become fans for life and look back on their years of even decades later with fond memories. Because no matter what people think, wrestling is for every body.
Henry-Wrestling 